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Paradoxie
Paradoxie (pear-ah-docks-ee) is one of the six Dragon-Gods of Halintar, the first Bronze Dragon and the patron goddess/protector of the High North. She is said to have been the last of the six gods that were created by the two deities Bahamut and Tiamat, created using tears of joy from their younger sibling Vorel, said to have been the most beautiful dragon of all time. She is renowned for her intense knowledge and skill in the arcane arts, even rumored to be able to grant wishes to those who gain her favor. Her domain consists of a series of peninsulas, mountain ranges and open seas that act as the gate to Halintar itself to those who visit from other continents across the Stretch. Her guild, the Bronze Gulf Traders, organize trade and transport with these immigrants, as well as distributing the resulting resources throughout the rest of Halintar. Often referred to as the Jewel of the Escutcheon, Paradoxie is a vibrant and sociable deity that often spends her days roaming the seas, greeting ships old and new alike. She’ll often directly assist with the entry process required to get into the High North from afar, using it as a means of inquiring with these travelers about their many adventures. While from outside the country she may seem a bit air-headed or even childish in her mannerisms, her people have great pride in the kindness and joy that Paradoxie and her brood treat their people with. Following their example, the people who worship her preach fairness and compassion to their congregations always. Description A beautiful deity whose scales never tarnish, Paradoxie is the prime example of a Bronze Dragon at their peak. Her scales are small and sleek, as to not impede her swim speed, sparkling like the ocean waves. Though she is the second-smallest of the deities (only larger than Karomatzu) she is still far larger than any other dragon regardless of age, and dwarves humanoids by hundreds of feet. Her body is long and serpentine, and as she leaps about the water’s surface it forms beautiful bronze arches that create small rainbows in their wake. As expected of Brass dragons, Paradoxie has a slender body and features. Her snout is mid-length and cutely rounded, with three feather-shaped ridges that form small crests on either side of her face. Two long, slightly-curled horns jut straight up from her forehead. Green plates of oxidized bronze shield the top center of her face from danger, allowing her to use her horns in a charge while protecting her face if necessary. These plates continue to protect her on her neck and down on her belly, notably denser than the light thin scales that coat the rest of her form. She has six wings in total, translucent and tinted a light green akin to her stomach plates. Her tail ends with a similar material, forming a fish-like tail fin on the end to aid in swimming. Finally, her four dainty legs are tipped with hoof-like cartilage made of the same material as the plates, though darker in hue and not quite as hard. The most notable feature other than her size that separates Paradoxie from her Bronze kin are her eyes. Rather than a single pupil, Paradoxie’s eyes have split to form four pupils apiece, each one shaped like an oblong teardrop and arranged to be shaped like a cross of sorts, with their pointed ends aiming at the center. While she’s always been cheeky about answering why, many worshippers believe that these eight tears are symbolic of the eight schools of magic, which she has mastered all of in her vast years of experience. This is supported by witness reports of her displaying her magical prowess in combat or simply utility, who took note of how different tears would glimmer with light when casting certain spells. Paradoxie is also usually seen wearing an eloquent crown of oceanic life upon her head, called the Crown of Bleupont. This sea life has grown to massive proportions to fit properly within the crown, assumedly having been grown for eons deep within the deity’s lair. Coral, seaweed, shells, and even some vibrant barnacles make their home in the Crown, still living and colorful even when the goddess spends significant time on the land. The main stars of this crown are the pearls, which are strung about the peak of the crown as well as on a string between the deity’s horns. The centerpiece of this crown is a single black pearl that shines with all the colors of the universe, called the Tear of Vorel. Many legends surround this mythical gem, said to have been the last tear of happiness from Vorel before being betrayed and killed by Tiamat. Paradoxie will reward her most sacred of followers by allowing them to touch the pearl, granting them her eternal blessing. Worshippers often create rosaries of pearls with a replica black pearl in their center, used to recite prayers to the goddess for good luck and health. Personality Friendliness is close to godliness in the eyes of Paradoxie. Like her older brother Dinante she’s quite the chatty type, stopping ships and caravans simply to talk to them for a few hours or so. However, unlike the Brass God, Paradoxie does not deal in secrets or riddles- she just likes to converse, taking pleasure in making “new friends” both near and far from home. She’ll even approach the most unsavory of folks with a smile on her face, openly trusting and cheerful… but if they refuse her requests or stupidly attempt to injure her, they’re never heard from again. Though she seems quite careless in her actions at times, she clearly has enough confidence in her deific powers to keep her and those she loves safe from harm. An infamous polymorphing fiend, Paradoxie will often shift right in front of people to get down to their level. She genuinely invests herself in conversations regardless of topic, though she seems to enjoy tales of romance the most. Those who can pique her interest especially well are often rewarded simply for being charming, but those who try and overexert themselves just to entreat her are ignored and sometimes suffer “mysterious misfortune” upon the sea. The one thing Paradoxie will never tolerate is tyranny. When she sees terrible atrocities such as slavery or torture, the goddess will not only incite divine wrath upon the villains, but will damn the cruel folks publicly. Word travels fast amongst her brood and her guild, and so even if the ne’erdo-wellers somehow survive or escape her onslaught they soon find themselves shunned by the entire country. Her followers and children will also often chase these survivors down, pursuing them until they either repent somehow or fall. Though she herself is good and kind, she doesn’t seem to enforce her own morality upon her people- she’d rather give them the choice to follow her example, rather than treat them as lesser than herself. This is appealing to folks from all sorts of backgrounds, from merchants to dockworkers to pirates, who all follow her and have received blessings from her before. As a goddess of relationships and good deeds she simply asks of her people to show compassion in their lives, and in turn she and her seas will show compassion to them in return. Homestead No one other than her brood and her lovers know exactly where Paradoxie’s hoard is. While some assume it’s somewhere within Bleupont, potentially even inside the city limits of Cinadaria, it seems to be cloaked with intense magics that guard it even from the deans of the Wizards of the Coast. Those who have seen it are told to not “ruin the surprise” of what’s inside, but rumors say that it’s a beautifully constructed den that doesn’t look too much unlike the Crown of the Bleupont itself. Brood The draconic children of Paradoxie are much like their broodmother, frolicking through the seas and skies of the High North to both protect and socialize with its people. The youngest of the brood tend to travel quite a bit, dancing about the coastline of the continent and even traveling all the way to other continents on occasion. As they grow older they eventually return to the North wizened and peaceful, settling down in communities with other retired dragons to talk and write about their travels. Hoard Being creatures who favor the arcane, Paradoxie and her kin are particularly partial towards magical artifacts. They’ll commission mages and artificers to create new and interesting items to decorate their bodies and den with. Bronze dragons also seem to enjoy valuable and exotic treasures, making up a large consumer base for merchants who sell luxury, antique, or foreign goods. Paradoxie herself has grown a particular fancy for crafting magical artifacts of her own over the centuries, with a rumored extensive collection of weapons, armor, and other knickknacks. On occasion she’ll gift these items to those she favors, which become quite famous (or infamous, depending on the person) for however long the deity allows them to keep it. When their time is done Paradoxie takes them back, and they slowly fade into obscurity until it is time again for them to rise from the sea for a new owner. Powers With her godly skill and knowledge, Paradoxie has honed a great number of abilities to perfection over the eons she’s lived. She has all the powers that Bronze dragons hold, of course… but beyond that her skills seem so vast that it’s practically impossible to predict how she’ll respond in combat. Breath Weapons Deeply in-tune with herself, Paradoxie is a master at her breath attacks. They’re accurate as can be, striking down or forcing away her foes while dodging any innocents that may be in the crossfire. Her people never need fear her hurting them, no matter how vicious the battle becomes. Paradoxie’s Lightning Breath pierces the heavens with endless daggers of raw electric energy. The attack itself is so quick and bright that it can be seen from miles away; blasts of light like sparks against two crossing blades. While usually she can just change the weather itself to hit with many lightning strikes rather than her breath, she will use this attack to make things “personal” when she feels especially slighted. As she’s quite competent in her control, she’s never marred the landscape with this attack, though she most certainly could if she weren’t as focused. Her Repulsion Breath, on the other hand, is what most seafaring folks dread every day of their lives. Her voice moves both the sea and sky, pushing them outwards and away from her, clearing a path as the water leaps from the sea and flies out into the open water. Sunken ships and old coral that haven’t seen the sky for generations are unearthed as she pushes the forces of nature about like they’re nothing. Entire fleets are annihilated as the waves fold over onto them, and other dragons caught in the air as it strikes go crashing into the tumultuous ocean below. All those who witness her command over nature are struck with fear and awe, before their lives end with the flicker of her glowing eyes. The devastation resulting from the attack lasts for days, and when the country sees the ocean churn in anguish they know that something made Paradoxie quite angry. Polymorphing While all the Gods are capable of all sorts of miracles, including supposedly transforming themselves if need be, Paradoxie is the only one who seems to truly utilize this ability. Those who live outside of her reign believe that it’s “degrading” for her to shift into such fragile humanoid forms, but those inside the country are under the impression that all the other Gods are too magically inept to be able to hold it. Either way, compressing her body from giant dragon into humanoid shape is seen as impressive by magical folks from all over the Stretch. Paradoxie’s humanoid form often changes based on her mood. Regardless of what race she chooses to mimic, she often has the same godly grace about her- a shining bronze body adorned with artifacts of the sea, accented with shimmering greens and blues. She doesn’t bother trying to hide that she’s a god, still keeping her eyes and horns in all transformations. More than anything the ability just seems to be used by her to get more “up close and personal” with her people, letting her get a closer look at them and making it so that they don’t have to yell up into the sky just to speak to her. Master of the Sea and Sky As she spends most of her life at least partially submerged, Paradoxie has spent a lot of time learning to master the sea and sky of the High North. While she doesn’t force her control over it constantly, meaning storms can still happen regardless of her mood, she can shape and change the environment on the open ocean however she pleases. This means that when the weather threatens to be bad on a cherished holiday she’ll often dismiss the clouds out to sea so people can enjoy the day as she like it. On the other hand, when she is at war or spots particularly malicious activity within her domain the sky will grow dark and the sea will roil, even when the day before things were as clear as they could be. When she is entreated by those who have formed cherished relationships with the deity, Paradoxie will sometimes grant her friends the favor of making a day clear or cloudy on command. She doesn’t do this often, though, usually only during special social occasions like weddings or funerals. Vibrant Growth Life around the goddess seems more bountiful and almost cheerful, even when not fully sapient. Plant and sea life grows more colorful in Bleupont, almost rainbow-like in hue. Pearls grow the size of basketballs. Even the building materials and clothing around her presence will start to shimmer and brighten up. Anything affected by her colorful energy will usually stay that way for decades after she passes them by. Mage Extraordinaire As a master of all magics who has studied since the beginning of time, Paradoxie has pretty much any spell you can name under her command. She’ll use these powers often, sometimes forgoing draconic combat completely to get at mortal-sized levels and sling spells at her enemies. Often times she’ll go through “phases” of magic schools, finding them particular fascinating for a few years or so before deeply investing in another. Because of her fondness for magic, Paradoxie often hosts the Wizard’s Cup every 3 years in Cinadaria. There, she invites all those of the Wizards of the Coast and beyond to come forth and display their skills in the arcane, challenging the standards to show her something truly new and special. There isn’t a winner every year, but when there is they win the ultimate reward- Paradoxie grants them a single wish, allowing them to wish for anything they please so long as it isn’t malicious in nature. It’s said that the Wizard’s Cup used to be held every year, but one year many centuries ago someone wished for the revival of a lost loved one that ended up becoming one of the cruelest people on the high seas. Devastated by this betrayal, Paradoxie refused to hold the cup for many years before finally agreeing to start again, given the condition that necromancy be banned from the College and from the potential wishes granted so that history may never repeat itself again. Brilliant Presence The beauty of Paradoxie is said to be unmatched, some even claiming that she is the physical embodiment of Vorel’s passed spirit. Spotting this lovely goddess even from miles away can cause those who see her to become dazed and even frightened by her approach, knowing that though she may be beautiful she is just as deadly as the other deities across Halintar. History Before the introduction of Kaiken at the beginning of the Metier Era, Paradoxie and the High North were a much humbler country. Yes, they still did plenty of trading with the other countries of Halintar, but they were only primarily known for their rustic hospitality and for the magical research occurring within the Wizards of the Coast. After Kaiken arrived, however, Paradoxie and her peoples' became known for being excellent hosts to the many people from across the Big Stretch- and possibly the only ones completely willing to play host to these visitors. Introduction to International Trade During the end of the Age of Ardence, Paradoxie was in deep meditation when she received vivid visions of visitors from "another world". Eager to greet these guests, she left her normal meditation place where she usually nests with her brood during the Bridge. She was the first to greet the Kaiken explorers, and though she frightened them quite a bit with her sudden and overly friendly approach they were found quite welcome when the goddess brought the ship to shore herself. This began an era of great wealth for Paradoxie and her guild, the Bronze Gulf Traders, who took it upon themselves to create a formal system of welcome into Halintar to ensure that no poor-spirited folks would intrude upon the draconic continent. The Queen's Inquisition In the year 405 ME, Kaiken began an assault upon Halintar known as the Queen's Inquisition. Many believe that if they hadn't kidnapped Paradoxie's lover at the time, Princess Leopold, that the Inquisition would have been a joke and that the Gods would have slaughtered the opposing fleet in minutes. However, due to the fact that they held the goddess' lover captive, Paradoxie refused to fight them, allowing them to establish a number of bases in the High North as they prepared to fight against the other five Dragon-Gods. For nearly 300 years afterwords Kaiken maintained a slightly invasive force in the High North, bringing their toughest champions and mages to fight against the other gods' forces. After Paradoxie discovered that Leopold had died of old age and negligence by the soldiers of Kaiken she went on a rampage, leaving a trail of destruction and hundreds of destroyed ships. This greatly crippled the Kaiken navy, but at this point they had established enough of a presence on the mainland that the war continued onward. It wasn't until the year 703 ME that the Inquisition finally ended due to an elemental calamity that occurred in Kaiken. Paradoxie was gentle in her understanding of those soldiers who wished to stay for their own reasons, but folks who continued to wage war against her people were quickly tossed onto ships and sent back to their ruined continent. Trade between Kaiken and Paradoxie's people/guild still happens from time to time, but since the event the goddess has shown much more favor to travelers from Ohwald. Relationships Other Dragon-Gods Ester Pyx The eldest and youngest of the six Dragon-Gods have a surprisingly stable relationship, maintaining a friendly relationship between each others' countries for thousands of years. When new battles are started the two are most often the first ones to ally with each other. Though Paradoxie isn't a huge fan of Pyx's draconian style of rule and the intense professionalism she maintains through her ranks, she does admire the way her older sister keeps things organized and the raw strength she grooms into her troops. Although not as viciously frequent as the battles between Pyx and Tephra, Ester Pyx and her Crusaders often aided Paradoxie when she got into squabbles with their metallic brother Dinante. Their combined forces made an excellent match against the Brass, with the Bronze's mages taming the dangerous landscape to clear the path for the Crusaders to charge through. Dinante Though the two share many features, including their love of conversation and similar shades in scales, Paradoxie and Dinante have historically had a very turbulent relationship. While Dinante calls his sister's chattiness useless and vapid, Paradoxie claims that her brother takes himself far too seriously, and that his secret-keeping tendencies and obsession with riddles are antagonizing to his people. The rivalry between the two of them usually stabilizes into rudely high tariffs and taxes between one another, broiling up into full-on battles when they get especially heated. The territory along the East Escutcheon through to Lake Skiri is highly contested territory that's often fought over during times of war. In the recent times of peace, the two deities have calmed their squabbling to an all-time low, though they and their respective guilds/people often argue with one another in their place. Balktan While all the other Dragon-Gods seem to hate Balktan, Paradoxie is the one who seems to hate him the least. She admires the "kindness" he exhibited when accepting the Dwarves into his sea, though the resulting residence caused them to transform into the bloodthirsty Salt Dwarves. Being of a similar semi-serpentine body shape also causes her to give this sympathy. She doesn't appreciate the young Yellow Dragons that come into her territory to cause destruction, but those who come in peace are welcome to settle in (mostly uninhabited) territory near the northwestern edge of the country itself. Tephra Paradoxie has a bit of a grudge against Tephra. Though their ideals line up quite well when it comes to giving freedom to their people and serving instead as their guardian, she knows the Goddess of the South has a very low opinion of herself. Additionally, the lack of involvement Tephra has with her people, especially now that the war has ended, is abhorrent to Paradoxie; she can't imagine a world where she doesn't talk to at least a dozen of her people at least once per day. Due to her comfortable alliance with Ester Pyx, Paradoxie often ends up fighting against Tephra. In battle is the only place where Tephra seems to acknowledge her sister's existence, roaring complaints against the trickery of the Wizards and the war mages of the North. Karomatzu As the two most magically adept Dragon-Gods, Paradoxie views her relationship with Karomatzu as a "healthy rivalry". The two are far away from one another, divided by both Ester Pyx's and Tephra's territory, that they rarely even have to interact with one another unless fighting due to treaty's sake. Similar to Tephra, she finds his lack of interaction with his common folk distasteful, but believes that his hoarding of artisans is closer to resembling a relationship than what Tephra had had before the treaty had been drafted. When the two are made to interact they often try to "out-pretty" one another, arriving in as glamorous a fashion as possible. Directly after the treaty was made Paradoxie made several trips out to visit Karomatzu, making a point to visit him in five-year intervals before the end of the Umber Solstice. Worshipers (See: Bronze Gulf Traders) As mentioned before, Paradoxie has a close relationship with her followers, often taking the time to respond to many of the prayers sent her way. Whenever a new church is erected in her honor she often comes to the ceremony herself to bless the building, and will return to these buildings every few years or so to check on how they're doing. On special occasions such as 100th anniversaries or the occasional wedding she'll also stop by and say hello, blessing those who have maintained the place of worship or the lucky lovers with gifts and well-wishing. She seems to maintain relationships with people from all kinds of places, even those of a more unsavory type. Pirate weddings and group prayers are also sometimes blessed by her presence, though obviously to a lesser extent than the do-good crowd. Her only exception is when the actions of these criminals are unforgivably evil, such as separating families, slavery, or consistently targeting a specific town or area for an extended period of time. Some pirates, such as the infamous Yenta Naylu, have earned a surprising amount of favor with the sea goddess, earning so much power that they're nigh unstoppable by anyone other than powerful mages from the Wizards of the Coast. Activity It's been business as usual in the High North, with Paradoxie often interacting with her guild and people. She's had her hands full dealing with the influx of immigrants and visitors coming in after the Shining occurred, so she's spent virtually all her time around Bleupont fending off the resulting piracy that has gone rampant in the wake of so many ships.Category:Deities Category:Dragons Category:Dragon Gods